White Nationalist Group Meeting Condemned By Kentucky Senate

Members of the Traditionalist Worker Party along with the Nationalist Front and National Socialist Movement are scheduled to gather at Jenny Wiley State Park in late April. A rally is expected to take place in Pikeville.

Pike County Senator Ray Jones called it disgraceful for the participants to gather near a memorial to those who fought and died in World War II.

“While they have a First Amendment right to espouse their hatred, we have a First Amendment right to stand up and say we’re not going to accept this in our community, ” he said.The resolution, approved by a unanimous voice vote, read in part: "Members encourage all Kentuckians to join in in speaking out against the oppressive philosophies espoused by these 24 hate groups."

Jones said he remembered a rather unorganized KKK rally in Pikeville years ago. He told fellow senators these groups appear much more organized.

“This is a group that if you look at their website, they have state of the art graphics, they have high quality video. This is a group that is well funded and the Southern Poverty Law Center says they’re one of the largest hate groups in the country, ” he said.